Second resource center for DISD families to open in West Dallas

This Saturday Dallas ISD is opening the doors of its second resource center, located inside of the Dr. Elba and Domingo Garcia West Dallas STEM School with an entrance off of Hampton Road. Through the center, DISD families now have access to free groceries twice a month, a laundry room with detergent included, and afterschool activities for DISD children.

Dallas Free Press previously reported that of the $3.7 billion voter-approved bond package in 2020, $41.3 million was dedicated to open resource centers in four Dallas high school zones: H. Grady Spruce, L.G. Pinkston, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lincoln. 

The intent, according to an October 2020 report, was to “support the whole child in communities that have been historically and systematically oppressed by Dallas ISD and other governmental institutions.”

The feedback Dallas ISD received in community meetings boiled down to four focus areas that the centers need to address:

• Access to primary healthcare
• Access to daily household needs
• Recreation spaces and programs
• Family counseling and resources

The hope is that these services will help families overcome obstacles that may interfere with their children’s academic success, says Liliana Valadez, executive director of Dallas ISD’s resource centers.

Dallas ISD chose the locations using Child Poverty Action Lab’s Community Resource Index (CRI), which “helps to identify neighborhoods where public investment can provide needed support for students and their families.” The first one, Resource Center South, opened in January 2024 at J.J. Rhodes Learning Center near Lincoln High School.

What’s offered at Resource Center West?
Resource Center West currently has 16 partners signed up to address a wide array of needs. 

The three partners kicking-off the first month of activities at Resource Center West include:

• After-school art, music and dance classes on Tuesdays led by Junior Players;
• Yoga classes for both students and parents on Tuesdays hosted by the Wesley-Rankin Community Center;
• A free food pantry for registered DISD families from Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, with the first one next Tuesday, March 5 from 1-2:30 p.m. 

Maria Lopez, the manager for Resource Center West, says they expect the food pantry to be their most utilized resource, since around 200 families currently are registered to pick up groceries next week. Lopez adds that Brother Bill’s food pantry schedule will alternate between the West and South resource centers to give parents location flexibility.

DISD families who arrive at the food pantry and are not already registered will be able to register on-site and use the service the day of, Lopez says.

Resource Center West features a new service not offered at their South location: laundry. Families can register for a 90-minute time slot to use one of the three private laundry facilities with detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets all provided. The rooms come equipped with folding tables so parents can fold their laundry as it comes out of the dryer.

Future resource center offerings include English as a Second Language (ESL) classes from Readers 2 Leaders, Lopez says, and cooking and nutrition education classes taught by trained chefs from Common Threads.

How can West Dallas neighbors use the services at the resource center?

Parents and guardians of Dallas ISD students can sign up for an account and register for events with their Powerschool login and password. 

Registered families can view the calendar, follow the center’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as check their email weekly to find out what events are happening at the center.

Resource centers are available for all DISD families to use; they are not restricted only to families zoned to L.G. Pinkston or Lincoln. 

“We really want to make sure that families are able to get their needs taken care of in one place so they don’t have to worry about going to three different places to get their needs met,” Lopez says.

Questions? Call the Resource Center West at 972.749.1082 or visit during operating hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 2200 Dennison Street Dallas, TX 75212.